Tie Me Mortal Kombat Down

Mortal Kombat banned in Australia

The upcoming remake of the classic arcade/console fighter Mortal Kombat will not be making an appearance down under. The Australian content classification regulator has deemed the game too violent and gruesome for the country’s highest age game-rating of MA15+.

The full text of the board’s decision can be download here. (.pdf):

Confirming the board’s decision, a spokesperson for the local branch of Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment said the group was “extremely disappointed” that Mortal Kombat — “one of the world’s oldest and most successful video games franchises” wouldn’t be available to adult gamers in Australia.

Australia’s MA15+ rating is like a noose around the neck of games publishers in recent years. Valve’s left 4 Dead 2 had to be heavily censored before release to the Australian public.

The lack of an R18+ classification system for video games in Australia, which Mortal Kombat would likely fall under, has resulted in various popular video games — such as Left 4 Dead 2 — being censored for the Australia market or refused classification so that they are unable to be sold locally. Some game publishers have been forced to modify their games prior to release in Australia, meaning some local releases have been delayed.

2011′s Mortal Kombat is coming to Xbox and PS3 On April 19th, but it looks like Aussie gamers are going to have to make some noise before the Mortal Kombat remake finds its way down under.

For the rest of us, Amazon is taking pre-orders for Xbox and PS3.